Seven years ago, I decided to start a family with a Norwegian man and moved from Colombia to Norway. My career, up to that point, was on its way up. Before leaving my country, I was the Communications Advisor for the Viceminister of Mines and Energy. I was confident about my robust profile, as I had acquired international experience by working for several global public relations companies and by studying for my Master’s in Spain and France. Moving to Norway with my background and speaking Spanish, English, and French, doors would open easily if not immediately, and would allow me to continue escalating in my international career. Or at least that was what I thought.

Reality was quite different. Suddenly, all my skills and experience were not valued. The doors hardly open to continue with the same professional path I had before. Instead, the job opportunities I was offered were more operative, in lower positions or even on activities that had nothing to do with my expertise. It felt like a professional setback like I was wasting my talent and abilities. It was hard to realize that I was seen as a nobody and could not get professional opportunities according to my education and experience.

My identity, mainly defined by my professional achievement and titles, fell to pieces.

The lack of professional opportunities was frustrating. On top of that, it was difficult to renounce my language and cultural codes, friends and family, food, comfort zone, and, most importantly, my dreams of having a career here.

While trying to adapt to Norway, I experienced an invisible wall between the local society and the newcomers. It seemed that being different or coming from abroad was not a plus. Instead, it felt like a minus.

No matter how much experience or studies I had before, I was not able to have the same opportunities as people from here. In opposite to what I had experienced in other international settings, speaking English in Norway was not enough. If I wanted to reach other levels here, I had no choice but to follow the same cultural codes as everyone else.

Creating a new identity was, and still is, challenging. It drained my energy, changed my personality, and affected me emotionally.

All these years trying to adapt to Norway made me wonder if, besides the love I had for my husband, other unconscious reasons that could have pushed me to leave my country and everything else.

Two years ago, when I started working for Identity on the Line (I-ON), I could finally figure it out. I-ON is an EU project that studies historical migration processes in seven European countries. It aims to explore the long-term consequences of migration on the identity-building process of the people involved and their children and grandchildren.

Initially, I could not see the relationship between the project and my personal story. On the surface, my reasons for moving to Norway were related to love and the idea of starting a family with a Norwegian man—nothing related to forced migration. However, as I got more involved with the project and the personal stories of the informants, I discovered some common traits.

As research states, trauma passes from generation to generation. I had never thought about this, but after seeing all the project findings, I started to think about my family differently. Migration was and still is a big part of my family. My grandfather escaped a menacing civil conflict in my home country, where his life was threatened as a young adolescent. Perhaps, this insecurity was latent in my body, and after experiencing a difficult family situation in 2015, all this insecurity was triggered. From that moment, I was not able to walk alone and felt menaced by all the strangers in the city. It was challenging to feel secure in Bogota, my home, which I considered my “comfort zone.” I had the urge to find a “safe place.”

So, as I was experiencing that insecurity in my body when I met my husband, the decision to move away from my country was easy. I traveled thinking I would be away from Colombia temporarily. Probably enough time so my husband and I could figure out everything, but deep down and without being conscious about it, I was also searching for security and a way to heal my family trauma.

Participating in I-ON allowed me to reflect on my process as a migrant. I went through my pain and learned about the different polarities migrants undergo while looking for their identity in a new place. My feelings have fluctuated from home and away, belonging and alienation, resilience and vulnerability, silence and openness, and injustice and reconciliation.

In search of creating a new version of myself in Norway, I have tried many things, learned a new language, worked in many different activities, studied an additional Master’s degree in innovation, and I picked up Norwegian cultural codes. No less important, I have become the mother of a lovely boy, whom I love to describe the “festive Norwegian” (in Spanish, el vikingo rumbero).

Throughout my transformation, I have reinforced my Colombian culture and am proud to share it with my son and others. Acknowledging openly that I am different, with another heritage and traditions, has been part of my healing process. I hope my son can feel proud of having two nationalities, two cultures and that he can feel good about being different.

At a professional level, the project gave me back something important. Even though I worked as the project assistant, it has been gratifying, for the first time in Norway, to work again with communications and public relations activities and to put into practice my previous experience in these fields. Returning to my professional roots and bringing back this part of my identity has felt good. Moreover, I have been lucky to expand my network, learn from other working styles, and discover the personal side of some European history.

It took seven years to move forward in the career path I had seen for myself some years ago. Partly thanks to the support from the management team, my work, and my achievements in the project I-ON, I got my next job at the Norwegian Refugee Council as the Administration and Communications Coordinator for the Global Programs. I am really looking forward to this.

“Something happened (…) during the war, something terrible that was going to leave its mark on my father more than anything else. Something so strong that he was never willing to talk about it. Something that traumatised him so profoundly that it affected our entire family, even us four siblings, who have never experienced war. In this way, the war became part of our lives, too.”
Anonymous, 55, Germany/Norway

This is one of many quotes from second- and even third-generation migrants who have to cope with the silence that often follows painful migration processes: a ubiquitous silence that challenges integration and well-being within families and societies. The EU’s latest roadmap for migration policy, the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, barely mentions long-term consequences in its action plan on integration and inclusion, and I regard this to be short-minded in light of the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Not having the descendants of migrants and refugees in mind – no matter how urgent the first-line measures – diminishes the chances of building culturally diverse and stable societies. Considering the increasing nationalistic tendencies in several European countries, we need to start looking at long-term solutions for an issue that is too often viewed as a short-term urgency. Let me explain why.

As part of the Identity on the Line (I-ON) project, researchers and museum curators from seven European countries have interviewed three generations of former migrants and their descendants over the last four years, to discover how unprocessed trauma is passed on from generation to generation. After analysing more than 160 in-depth interviews, our project’s findings are clear. If traumatic experiences that follow wars and forced migrations are not appropriately addressed in their aftermath, consequences can be severe: for the migrants themselves, their children, grandchildren, family relations, and surrounding societies. Our findings were valid across countries, cultures and periods of time: challenges are likely to occur in the private and public spheres, affecting how we can reach several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a society.

For example, the not-talking and not-addressing of traumatic happenings during the former migration led within all three generations to feelings such as loneliness and exclusion. When the first generation, the migrants, were not able to share what had happened, their children and grandchildren were often left with an urge to find information about their roots. Family relations suffered massively when happenings were sensed but not adequately addressed – neither within the families nor in the public sphere – leading to painful feelings of being different and left out. Due to these internal challenges, also the integration and inclusion of these families into their new social environment could be much
harder. One could also assume that mental health challenges increased, even if medical questions were not a part of our study.

In addition, public silence about traumatic experiences during migration processes and their possible long-term consequences reinforced and multiplied feelings of fear, guilt or shame –either within families of former aggressors or families of their victims. Our findings point out that knowing who belonged to a particular family or “side” can be passed down from generation to generation, making it more difficult or even impossible to live together peacefully. One could reasonably assume that this ultimately might lead to local societies characterised by groups of people who avoid each other or even fight against each other; and that these internal struggles contribute to rising nationalistic tendencies. Research from different fields of study strongly suggests that knowledge and openness are unavoidable factors for effective reconciliation processes. More research has to be conducted about when and how to address collective trauma most effectively, but here is where a significant yet unused potential lies: long-term consequences of war and forced migration have to be addressed publicly to help future generations cope better in both the private and public spheres. Here, cultural institutions such as museums can come into play by inviting those affected to share their stories and providing general information about the broader historical context they could be placed within.

To sum up, we have a real chance to diminish the long-term consequences of migration by increasing awareness of the comprehensive impacts of traumatic events and addressing them through openness, knowledge, and information that is publicly accessible. Approaches are not too challenging to develop and implement, but efforts must be made sooner rather than later. The very first step is making sure that the long-term consequences of migration-related traumas are appropriately mentioned in our policy documents and adequately addressed in future discussions. The second one is to increase the collaboration between all who can contribute to practical results.

The 26th of April 2023 discussions among researchers, experts and policy makers were hosted at Norway House and the European Parliament in Brussels, led by Identity on the Line. The project aimed to explore the long-term consequences of migratory movements on the identity-building process of the people involved, their children and grandchildren. It focused on collecting, analyzing, and showcasing experiences from specific migratory processes that took place over the course of the last 100 years. The main findings are summarized in a package of materials for educational and cultural institutions, physical and digital exhibitions, movies, publications – and now also a series of recommendations for policymakers. Recordings from the event will soon be published on the projects webpage www.i-on.museum.

AUTHOR:
Kathrin Pabst, PhD is an ethnologist, researcher, author, and speaker. She is the project leader of Identity on the Line (I-ON), a large-scale cooperation project between academia and cultural history museums in Europe. The project is co-funded by the EU within the Creative Europe Programme.

ABSTRACT:
The EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum fails to consider the long-term consequences of migration processes on the well-being of migrants, and of their second and third-generation descendants – diminishing our chances to build societies that are culturally diverse, and leading to increased nationalistic tendencies in Europe.

“How we treat migrants now will have effects for years to come”: MEPs call for a long-term approach to design effective migration and integration policies in Europe

BRUSSELS, 26 April 20263 – Members of European Parliament Irena Joveva, Magdalena Adamowicz and Valter Flego, together with representatives from the European Commission and academia, called for regulators to consider the long-term effects of migration policies on future generations at a policy roundtable titled “The Migratory Experience: Adopting a three-generational perspective”, part of the final event of the four-year research project Identity on the Line (I-ON).

Members of the European Parliament agreed that inefficient integration and asylum policies contribute to growing prejudice and fueling discrimination against minorities. “Migration, of one kind or another, irrevocably leads to the questioning of one’s own identity and the search for an answer to the question: Who am I? said Irena Joveva, Member of the European Parliament. “However,” she added, “European governments are increasingly talking about multiculturalism as a negative phenomenon that supposedly leads to economic inequality, social fragmentation and loss of cultural identity.”

Identity-building is at the centre of the Identity on the Line (I-ON) project, a large-scale cooperation among six cultural history museums and one university in seven countries in Europe. Earlier in the day, the project leads presented their results and findings in front of an audience from educational, cultural, and political institutions. Through more than 160 in-depth interviews with migrants and their families, I-ON aimed to explore the lasting effects of migratory movements on the process of identity-building for at least three generations. The research was conducted in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Croatia, and studied migration processes that had not been properly addressed publicly until now.

The policy roundtable that took place in the European Parliament in Brussels was an opportunity to present the project’s findings and recommendations for policymakers: a booklet of proposals for long-term solutions to tackle issues that are too often treated with short-term urgency (see annex). Among others, they include initiatives to raise awareness of the long-term consequences of trauma and silence for individuals, families, and societies. They also address how to diminish the stereotyping of migrants and all forms of ‘othering’ in public discourse.

The recommendations were warmly welcomed by Magdalena Adamowicz, Member of the European Parliament and widow of late Pawel Adamowicz, former mayor of Gdańsk, Poland. She recollected the toxic public debate and the polarisation of public discourse that surrounded the murder of her late husband, who had contributed to making Gdańsk an open and welcoming place for immigrants. “After the murder of my husband, I asked myself – why so much hate?” she stated. “I would like to continue passing his message that being open, being curious of other experiences makes us richer – not only as a society but also economically. Research shows that the more diverse the society, the richer it becomes.”

The project findings have been developed over the past four years, but remain relevant more than ever today. Since the start of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has received the largest number of people fleeing war since World War II. This has put further pressure on political discussions around migration, which increasingly rely on a ‘fortress Europe’ approach.

Kathrin Pabst, Project Leader of Identity on the Line, invited policymakers to carefully think about how we integrate migrants today. She stated: “Our project observed that if migrants are not treated with respect, the feelings of being an outsider are often passed down to their children and grandchildren. We risk building communities which foster diversion instead of inclusion, and this is counterproductive if sustainable societies are the goal. We have to act now.”

This sense of urgency was echoed by Wiebke Sievers, Senior Researcher on migration at the Austrian Academy of Science. “What we do to migrants today will have effects in the years to come,” she said. “But change is possible.”

The I-ON project is an example of how museums can contribute to creating a space for unheard voices, facilitating access to information on sensitive historical events and personal experiences, and creating an arena for participation and intercultural dialogue.

The project was praised by Walter Zampieri, Head of Unit at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. “The European Commission supports a number of projects on cultural heritage, but this is different,” he said. “Heritage is about people – not just buildings or objects – and it carries meaning and values. Identity on the Line is a project about people that highlights the importance of passing down meaning and values to future generations. And it did that at a European level.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:

Maria Paula Grundetjern
Project Assistant and Communications Consultant
Identity on the Line
+47 461 216 64
maria.paula.grundetjern@vestagdermuseet.no

More information on the Identity on the Line project can be found at www.i-on.museum and www.identityontheline.eu.

Norway, September 1st, 2022. At the EMA annual ceremony on the 10th of September, the large-scale cooperation project Identity on the Line (I-ON) (2019-2023) will receive the once-in-a-while EMA Prize for its outstanding contribution to understanding migration and Identity in Europe. The project I-ON is a broad cooperation between six cultural history museums and one university, working together to explore the long-term consequences of different migration processes, forced or voluntary, in Europe over the last 100 years. 

The EMA Board has decided to give the EMA Prize to the project Identity on the Line because

• “It is admirable that a mid-sized museum as the Vest-Agder Museum has set up such a complex international project, bringing together six other small/mid-sized institutions scattered all over Europe.
• The impressive outcome is a joint traveling exhibition, separate exhibitions in all countries concerned, publications, webinars, school packages, and so on. It shows what mid-sized museums can achieve!
• The project is an important contribution to understanding the history of migration in the 20th century, thanks to its international exposure Europe-wide”.

This unique award is not given regularly, and only a few European institutions have received the award so far; the Galileo Galilei Museum in Florence, Europeana in The Hague, and Polin in Warschau. 

The Identity on the Line office in Norway will have the piece of contemporary sculpture created by the Swiss artist Etienne Krähenbühl (1953- ) for one year. 

The Identity on the Line project is co-financed by the European Union through Creative Europe. The main question addressed in the project is how difficult migration-related events affect migrants and their children and grandchildren. The project puts strong emotions that unite migrants in perspective – despite differences in context, time frame, nationality, and background. These universal emotions are displayed in seven local exhibitions, one joint traveling exhibition, one digital exhibition, one movie, a set of school packages, four scientific articles, and an online publication. 

Kathrin Pabst, the project leader of Identity on the Line, underlines that “by conducting in-depth interviews and collecting oral testimonies from 164 informants, who have not shared their personal stories before, we have been able to see clearly how difficult migration-related experiences can become secrets that affect not only the time witnesses themselves but also their children and grandchildren. The silence surrounding traumatic historical events such as forced migration and war affects individuals, family relations, local societies, and even national narratives. Our findings may help mitigate the long-term impact of the war in Ukraine and shape the European identity by encouraging openness, intercultural dialogue, and mutual understanding”.

Vest-Agder Museum (VAM) is one of the nominees. The museum is participating with a complementary approach by combining the visiting place D/S Hestmanden and “Identity on the Line”. D/S Hestmanden is a large steamship that sailed in the Norwegian merchant navy in both WWI and WWII, that functions today as the country’s official war sailor museum. On the other hand, “Identity on the Line (I-ON)” (www.i-on.museum), is a large-scale cooperation project between six cultural history museums and one university, working together to explore the long-term consequences of different migration processes, forced or voluntary, which took place in Europe over the last 100 years. The project is a broad cooperation between VAM, museums in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia, and Croatia, and a university in Lithuania.
“VAM is an innovative forum for cultural debate. We have been continuously focusing on sensitive, taboo-related, or controversial topics and conveying them in the best possible way, highlighting individuals or minorities with opinions and experiences that have not been shared. We want to promote a sense of belonging, reflection and learning among our visitors and local society, says John Olsen, Director of VAM.
The organization giving out the awards is the European Museum Academy (EMA), which is a non-profit foundation representing museums at the European level. The EMA has members in more than 38 countries and promotes advancement, excellence, and innovation concerning museological philosophy, museographical language, and practice. The academy encourages museums to become meeting places and forums for developing scientific debate, creativity, social cohesion, and cultural dialogue.
The main fields of activities of the European Museum Academy include the judging and awarding of several European museum awards.
Among the EMA awards, the most recognized are the Luigi Michelleti award and the DASA award. The Luigi Michelletti award is organized in cooperation with the Luigi Micheletti Foundation to highlight best practices in museums. For more than 20 years, the award has been focusing on innovative museums and exhibitions of 20th-century history, science, technology, industry, science centres, eco-museums, and interpretation centres.
The Luigi Michelletti Foundation is a research centre on contemporary history and specialized in collecting and spreading material and immaterial heritage of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The other European prize is the DASA award, which is supported by DASA Working World Exhibition in Dortmund, Germany. For ten years, this award has honoured museums dedicated to education and communication in innovative ways. This includes fresh concepts, extraordinary exhibition design, and scenography, as well as special methods of knowledge transfer.

Internationally renowned museum experts from the European Museum Academy compose the jury for both awards. These experts will finish gathering together in June and will decide the winner who will be announced in the gala ceremony that will take place during the EMA international conference in September 2022.